In many horses, the first sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected. | Photo: Stephanie L. Church/The Horse

The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) reported April 6 that the Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed a case of neurologic equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) in a King County horse.

“The horse was moved to an isolation area on the property and the premise has been quarantined,” the EDCC’s statement said. “There are two other premises that will be quarantined due to recent movement of horses from the index property to other equine facilities. Temperatures will be taken twice daily and strict equine biosecurity is in place.”

Herpesvirus is highly contagious among horses and can cause a variety of ailments in equids, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (the neurologic form). In many horses, the only sign of EHV-1 infection is fever, which can go undetected